Category: Pro Tips

Industry expert Karen Workman is the mom of three young actors and the author of Baby Steps to Hollywood. The term “stage mom” sometimes has a negative connotation but Karen single-handedly makes that label synonymous with teacher, student, life coach, cheerleader, adventurer, and fun-loving risk-taker. She wholeheartedly supports her children’s dreams and talents but her main objective is to nurture their health, well-being, and confidence as human beings independent of Hollywood. Karen regularly speaks at industry events and her book Baby Steps is an invaluable resource for parents of aspiring child actors. We were lucky to steal a few minutes from her busy schedule to find out what it takes for child and teen actors to find professional success as well as personal fulfillment in Hollywood.

We continue with the second half of the interview below. Read Part 1 of the interview here.

Industry expert Karen Workman is the mom of three young actors and the author of Baby Steps to Hollywood. The term “stage mom” sometimes has a negative connotation but Karen single-handedly makes that label synonymous with teacher, student, life coach, cheerleader, adventurer, and fun-loving risk-taker. She wholeheartedly supports her children’s dreams and talents but her main objective is to nurture their health, well-being, and confidence as human beings independent of Hollywood. Karen regularly speaks at industry events and her book Baby Steps is an invaluable resource for parents of aspiring child actors. We were lucky to steal a few minutes from her busy schedule to find out what it takes for child and teen actors to find professional success as well as personal fulfillment in Hollywood.

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Helen: Shall we start with your genesis story?

Karen: My husband Pete and I met as students at Victoria University […]

Shannon is a co-founder and the “industry brain” at Actors Compass. With 20+ years of experience in the acting industry and 10+ years as a web developer, she has built, reviewed, and consulted on hundreds of actor sites. The idea for Actors Compass grew out of a business workshop Shannon teaches to graduating acting students at various schools and theaters. A few weeks ago, Helen, also a co-founder and the “all-up-in-your-business brain”, sat down with Shannon to discuss all things Actors Compass.

Helen continues her interview of Shannon below. Read part one of the interview here.

Helen: I’m curious to know a little more about your background as a performer. Can you describe the trajectory of your acting career?

Shannon: I was a professional actor for a little over 20 years, primarily in New York and Los Angeles. I started performing onstage when I was four years old. My older sister […]

Shannon is a co-founder and the “industry brain” at Actors Compass. With 20+ years of experience in the acting industry and 10+ years as a web developer, she has built, reviewed, and consulted on hundreds of actor sites. The idea for Actors Compass grew out of a business workshop Shannon teaches to graduating acting students at various schools and theaters. A few weeks ago, Helen, also a co-founder and the “all-up-in-your-business brain”, sat down with Shannon to discuss all things Actors Compass.

Many of you pro actors out there may already know about this great resource but the SAG-AFTRA Foundation offers a great library of videos designed to give you a leg-up on the business side of acting. The videos include topics like how to perform in a horror film and the ins and outs of SAG-AFTRA residuals. A standout video is a panel discussion about best practices to keep in mind when creating an actor reel. The panel consists of theatrical agents and associate casting directors so heeding its advice will ensure that you present the best of your talent and experience so that you’ll get noticed by the people who matter most.

The video is just under an hour but it’s really worth a look. Set aside some time, pour yourself some coffee, and take notes. You’ll thank us later.

Many actors ask me why they can’t just upload their resume as a Word doc on to their Actors Compass site. We strive to make AC as painless as possible. However, there are certain measures we urge you to take that may seem like a nuisance but are for your own good. Sharing your resume online as a PDF rather than a Word doc is one of these measures. I’m sorry, you just have to deal. You’ll thank us in the end, I promise.

Everyone and their dog has a blog these days. I actually have four blogs (here and here and here and, of course, Actors Compass). I know, I need an intervention. But we’re not here to talk about me, we’re here to talk about you! Or, more specifically, your actor blog.

A blog can be a handy way to showcase your personality, talent, and interests as well as to keep people up-to-date on your latest news. It can be a great tool to create community and build an online following but it’s only a great tool if used strategically and consistently. A haphazard or neglected blog becomes a liability, making you look out of touch or uninvested in your web presence. Having a blog simply to have more features on your website won’t cut it. It’s important to take a realistic, honest look within before you […]

In the first part of this series last week, I talked about what should and should not go into your actor resume. This week, I want to show you how to format your resume content so that (a) it looks professional and (b) grabs the attention that it deserves. You should know that I use Microsoft Word on a Mac to edit my resume. You’ll have to translate these instructions to your computer setup if you use something else. Thankfully tools in all text editing software are pretty similar. Alright, here we go!

In my work as a web developer creating acting sites, I often spend a lot of time helping clients format their bios, images, resumes, etc. This, on top of spending time on my OWN actor branding package! One of the most common questions I receive is: “Can you format my resume so it doesn’t look so sucky?” Yes, “sucky” is an official industry term. Fortunately, the answer to this question is yes. Today, I will focus on the content of your resume so it highlights the best of who you are and what you offer.

You know what it’s like when you go to a bad website. It takes like 0.05 second for you to say, “ew.” Seriously. It’s been proven. Google did a study a few years ago and they found out that it literally takes 1/20 of a second for someone to form a decision about your website. So now that you have your actor website, you have to make sure that everything is shipshape. Here are some important do’s and dont’s to keep in mind as you get everything together for your awesome site.

DO’s

MAKE SURE THEY SEE YOU
Put an image of yourself on every page of your site. When agents and casting are looking at your resume, they don’t want to have to click away to remember what you look like.

MAKE IT EASY TO CONTACT YOU
Make sure you provide a way for that casting agent to get a hold of you easily […]